


Evening Glow

by strikerkudo



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Annette is basically a dusk sunshine baby, Dimitri and ingrid are technically here, F/M, Felix hearing Annette sing once and immediately going 'oh no' in his head, but theyre mostly here to keep a reign on sylvain, he also teases ingrid a lot so really hes just asking to die at this point, nonsensically using faerghus place names, sylvain loves to flirt with death aka he teases felix a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26218528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strikerkudo/pseuds/strikerkudo
Summary: The bicycle stands were around the corner, but the sound of someone humming stopped him in his tracks.He stood still, simply listening for a moment. The voice was distinctly female and kind of cute…?Felix wasn't an emotional person, but somehow this singing redhead must have turned some long unused valves in his mind, because he can't seem to quit thinking about her and her silly songs.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 12
Kudos: 29
Collections: Felannie Mini Bang 2020





	Evening Glow

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Felannie Mini Bang! 
> 
> The artwork for this fic is by the wonderful Ramu (@jeshikaramu)

#### I.

“So, give me a ride, Ingrid, okay?”

Sylvain raised his arms behind his head and grinned. Ingrid turned her head, seething silently.

“Sylvain!”

“That’s a yes, yes?” He walked to the back of the bike Ingrid was holding and shamelessly sat down on it. “Nice, thanks, Ingrid! You really are the best! Have I told you that?”

“I─You─!” She sighed in frustration, but didn’t shove him off. “You know,” she started, “if you would stop breaking the heart of every girl you meet...”

“They wouldn’t break my tires in retaliation? I know, I know, I’m horrible and so on and so forth.”

She hummed. “You should be happy it’s just your tires. I won’t give you a ride to the hospital when they inevitably break your face, too.”

“Ah, you two…” Dimitri held a hand up, trying to placate his two childhood friends. Gripping the handlebar of his bike he dragged it closer to them.

“Putting Sylvain’s usual… endeavors aside,” he smiled. “Does one of you know where Felix is?”

“He probably stayed behind to train again,” Ingrid said.

Dimitri raised his eyebrows. “Without saying anything?”

Ingrid and Sylvain gave him a look.

“Right,” he conceded.

Sylvain lifted his head in thought. “Well, if what Professor Byleth said is true, then he’s been causing trouble during fencing again.”

Dimitri and Ingrid sigh in synchronization.

Felix wasn’t exactly known to cause trouble, but his mean-spirited demeanor often upset the people around him. Everyone knew that the fencing club─and blades in general─were the axis his world revolved around. How he treated you strongly depended on how skilled you were with a sword. Or you had to be a childhood friend that’s impossible to get rid of. Although it didn’t guarantee Felix being nice, it did keep him from angrily belittling you and your life choices. Sometimes.

“I shouldn’t have bothered to ask,” Dimitri muttered. Then he put his usual pleasant smile back on and turned to the blonde.

“In any case, Sylvain could ride with me, if you would prefer that, Ingrid.”

Ingrid pinched her nose. “No, it’s alright. I’ve been stuck with keeping him in line for a decade, I will persevere. C’mon, idiot, get comfortable.”

She lifted a leg over the seat and craned her head backwards. “Not too comfortable though! And don’t you dare whine at my riding. I will behead you!”

“Ah, Ingrid, you truly are the fairest knight of all the lands,” Sylvain shifted behind Ingrid. She scowled, highlighting her red cheeks.

With his hands secured on her waist, Sylvain waved towards Dimitri. “Come on then, your Highness. Felix is old enough to find his own way home.”

The blonde nodded and hopped on his bike to catch up beside them.

“That’s true. He would only get angry to see me waiting for him.”

Sylvain chuckled.

#### II.

Felix was used to being reprimanded. His personality has often been described as ‘off-putting’ and ‘irreverent’. Which, he admits, is very accurate. But if they didn’t want him to be mean to them then they should take themselves and their horrid fencing skills elsewhere. The pure sight of their failures made him angry.

The Officers Academy Fencing Club had prestige and an image to uphold. And yet their instructor allowed every mildly interested passersby to join and ruin his training. The sheer amount of times a newbie had bumped into Felix and almost causing him to fall is immeasurable.

Felix craved challenge. Not a group of fencers so mediocre, he could incapacitate the entire team in under five minutes.

More importantly, a team that can take constructive criticism without breaking into tears and tattling on him.

“Why do I have to keep telling you how to behave during practice?” Jeralt didn’t sound amused at all. He palmed his face in his hands.

“I’m behaving fine,” Felix sneered. “You told us to help each other improve.”

“By giving them helpful tips! And not by trying a lethal move on them because their technique annoys you!”

“You got a better team average out of it, so why are you complaining?”

Jeralt looked ready to kick him to the curb. Felix crossed his arms. The fencing instructor was usually the epitome of calmness and patience so that was definitely a bad sign.

He wasn’t ready to admit he was wrong, however.

“Because Monica left and refuses to come back! She’s a newbie. You can’t possibly expect everyone that joins the fencing club to be at your level immediately.”

Felix tightened the grip on his arms. “Well, maybe she wasn’t cut out for fencing anyway.”

The glare he got for that comment reminded him of a disappointed father. He growled. There was more than enough of that at home.

“What do you want me to do about it? It already happened so get over it!”

“What I want,” Jeralt crossed his own arms, “is for you to get a handle on yourself.”

“Tch.”

“I’m serious, Felix. One more slight and I’ll have to kick you from the fencing team,” he sighed.

“Look, Felix. You’re passionate and you’re good. Really good. But you’re not the only one in this club. So, keep your pointy stick to yourself when you swing it around.”

He stayed silent. Jeralt hovered a hand above Felix’s shoulder, not daring to touch.

“Make your choice, kid. My recommendation? Tone down that bitter attitude of yours.”

Felix took the dismissal for what it was and shouldered past his instructor. Another sigh could be heard behind the closing door. Without wasting any more time Felix grabbed his duffel bag and stalked towards the entrance.

The school had emptied out by the time Jeralt was done with him. Felix appreciated not having to deal with anyone else as he glared at nothing.

His friends must’ve already left, he realized. Not that he cared. It’s probably better that they weren’t here to ask questions. He could just imagine Dimitri’s kicked puppy face or Ingrid’s scowl before a lengthy lecture. And just to irritate him further, Sylvain would have added stupid commentary and laughed like the asshole he is. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered with them. Then he remembered that they’re the only ones bothering with him too.

The wall of summer heat hit him full force as he exited the school building. Felix groans and runs a hand through his hair. The day was going just great.

The bicycle stands were around the corner, but the sound of someone humming stopped him in his tracks.

He stood still, simply listening for a moment. The voice was distinctly female and kind of cute…?

He lurked around the corner. The bike stands were empty except for three bikes. Felix’s, a red bike that Felix knows to be Sylvain’s, and another red one. There, at the latter, stood the source of the music. A small girl with red hair. She was rummaging through her bag, getting ready to ride home presumably. When the girl zipped the bag shut and crouched down to open the lock, she started to sing.

“The sun is shining bright tonight, and I will be heading home, that’s right!”

The lyrics weren’t incredibly deep, but Felix couldn’t help but stay still, held captive by this girl’s voice. He leaned back against the brick wall and listened.

Sadly, it didn’t take much longer for the girl to finish up and hop on her bike. He chanced a glance and watched the girl ride away, still happily singing to herself.

Felix stayed put for a few more minutes before he allowed himself to release the breath he wasn’t aware he was holding. He wanted to scowl when he felt his heart rate slow down, cursing it for skipping a beat in the first place. Instead he used a more direct approach and pressed a hand on his chest to force his heart to calm down by sheer will.

He tried to shake the whole experience off and walked up to his own bike. Black with blue accents. It used to be his brother’s. Like most of his things. His father couldn’t bear to throw any of his brother’s belongings away and Felix had to pay the price.

The lock was carelessly stuffed into his duffel. He grabbed the handlebars and walked towards the entrance. He made sure the duffel was out of the way and pushed himself forward.

“─sun is shining bright tonight─,” Felix murmured absentmindedly.

#### III.

The rest of the week went by calmly. Felix had to grit his teeth and scowl excessively, but he succeeded in not sending another club member running. Jeralt kept a close eye on him, but seemed pleased at the display of self-restraint.

It wasn’t Felix restraining himself, as much as it was him being distracted.

He couldn’t get the song out of his head. He unknowingly found himself humming the melody under his breath. Of course, his friends couldn’t leave it alone. Sylvain stopped teasing him about it after a few well-placed punches. Dimitri and Ingrid settled for asking questions, leaving out any stupid commentary. Unluckily for them, Felix didn’t feel like answering their inquiries either.

In the end the matter was dropped and the quartet returned to their normal routine. Sylvain fixed his bike, again, and began flirting with every other student, again. Ingrid would scold him, but as always that didn’t do much. And Dimitri would keep trying to include Felix in conversations he clearly did not want to be part of.

Everytime Felix left the school building he found himself alone at the bike stands, his friends waiting outside the gate for him. It bothered him how much he wanted to see the girl waiting there. He hadn’t seen her around school before either. Garreg Mach High School is huge, so it’s not that big of a surprise. He kept a look out for her anyway.

“Man, Felix, is your practice getting longer or are you just walking slower to try and avoid us for as long as you possibly can?”

Sylvain drove circles around Ingrid and Dimitri outside the gate. Ingrid glared at his bright grin every time he passed by her.

“Maybe he knows to prioritize hard work over goofing off and running out of class as soon as the bell rings?” Ingrid shot back, head held high.

Dimitri tilted his head. “I would argue that there’s no use in prioritizing work over fun and relaxation as long as there’s a balance.”

“What His Highness’ is actually trying to say is that you should live a little, Ingrid,” Sylvain patted her head. In return she took a swipe at his hand, making him swerve aside, laughing.

“You don’t get to tell me to ‘live a little’ considering how hellbent you are on getting yourself into an early grave!”

“And yet you almost pushed me into traffic instead of trying to talk to me about my feelings. So mean.”

Felix didn’t say a word. Relieved that they managed to divert their conversation themselves. He could always count on his two friends derailing their probing into arguments they’ve had a million times over.

The group of friends started to pedal away from school grounds, when Felix saw a flash of red from the corner of his eye.

His head snapped around, but he had to look back in front before he fell off his ride. The others in front hadn’t noticed. Dimitri was now driving in the middle between, with Ingrid at the front and Sylvain at the back, snickering. Felix took another look backwards and saw the girl ride around the corner, out of sight.

“Tch.”

He concentrated on catching up with his friends.

#### IV.

“I’m falling behind on training.”

Three faces stared at him blankly.

“Okay,” Ingrid said slowly. “Is that some sort of code word, or have you actually been scolded for slacking off?”

He growled. “I wasn’t scolded. I need to be better.”

Sylvain nodded. “That’s more like it.”

“Is it for the upcoming competition?” Dimitri chimed in.

“As if,” Felix sneered, “I could beat those weaklings blindfolded.”

Ingrid shook her head but didn’t argue. She followed Sylvain who was already dragging his bike away.

“We’ll be going ahead then.” Dimitri smiled as he turned around.

Felix crossed his arms, waiting for them to leave his sight.

Then he walked back to lean against the brick wall where he could survey the entirety of the bicycle stands. Including the far side where only his own bike remained and the row in front. The stands were separated from the rest of the campus with strips of bushes and trees. They limited his view of the middle rows, but that’s not what he needed to see anyway.

For the first time since that day, the girl’s red bike was still there when Felix exited the school.

He sighed as he rocked his head against the wall, closing his eyes. What was he even doing? His brain told him to beat the curiosity out of himself. He heard a girl sing once and now he’s acting like a stalker. Frowning, Felix considered his options. He lowered his crossed arms and pushed himself off the wall.

Hearing some stupid song again was not worth getting potentially arrested for loitering and stalking.

He took a step, when someone rounded the corner only to suddenly come to a stop in front of him. Felix turned to the newcomer and felt his mouth fall wide open before he quickly caught himself.

There in front of him stood the small red headed girl. She looked up at him, her face in a grimace.

“Uh,” she quickly averted her eyes to look at anything that isn’t Felix, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t─”

She laughed nervously. “I mean, how could I have seen you through a wall, right?”

Felix stayed silent, ignoring the voice in his head saying that her laugh is really cute.

Shuffling her feet, the girl stammered together a string of words, pointing at something behind Felix, that he knows has to be her bright red bike. Felix nodded his head and the girl smiled awkwardly, passing by him so quickly, one would think he was trying to kill her or something.

Having botched his chance at having a normal, human conversation with the girl he’s been meaning to talk to for a week now, Felix decided to walk up to her and try again. Maybe with a friendlier face. His friends keep telling him that he has a bad habit of glaring at everyone.

He couldn’t help that everything pissed him off. He blamed the teenage hormones and his family issues for that.

Felix opened his mouth, but was cut off by a cry and a whine.

“What? No! Oh no no no, don’t do this to me now!” The girl was frantically hovering her hands over the tires of her bike.

Felix crouched down beside her and squished the rubber easily. The girl threw up her shoulders, staring at him. He ignored her for now to take another glance at the other tire. Both tires were slit open multiple times all over. He stood up. The cables and lines for the brake and gears were cut apart as well.

“You’re not driving that thing anywhere anymore,” he said.

“Aw, man,” the girl pushed herself up. And let out a whiny sigh. “What did I do to deserve this? Did I make anyone angry? I’m sure I didn’t say anything mean though…”

Felix took another look at the bike, when a thought hit him. Under his breath he growled Sylvain’s name. The girl looked up at him with a tilted head. Cute, he thought.

“It’s not you.”

“Huh?”

“A friend of mine has the tendency to break hearts and most people like to take it out on his bike. It just so happens that his looks almost identical to yours.”

She gaped. “So this was intentional?”

Felix blinked. He didn’t know how anyone could look at a cut up bike like hers and not think it was done intentionally, but he let it go.

“They must’ve confused your bikes.”

“Oh no,” her eyes downcast, “What do I do now?”

Maybe the heat had gotten to him. Internally he cursed Sylvain to hell and back for what he was about to offer.

“I can give you a ride.”

He couldn’t believe he was doing this.

“You─,” the girl paused. “You would do that for me?”

“Sure, why not. If you use a bike, you can’t live too far.”

Actually, Felix knows for a fact that they live in two opposite directions due to his _observations._ Not because he’s a stalker.

“And my bike has been left fully operational,” he pointed to the black and blue bicycle ahead.

The girl smiled brightly. “Oh wow, that’d be fantastic! Are you sure though? Somehow you… don’t really look like the type of guy to offer such niceties.”

Felix stared at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Uh…,” she averted her gaze. “Anyway! I’m Annette! Annette Fantine Dominic, in full!”

She held out her hand with a bright smile. Felix would deny that his heart skipped a beat until the end of eternity.

He hesitated before shaking her hand.

“Felix.”

“Okay, Felix,” Annette clapped her hands together, “Do you know where the Itha River is? If you ride along the side of it you’ll arrive at the Kleimann bridge. My house is right by that bridge, so if you drop me off there I can walk the rest of the way in less than a minute!”

“Sounds good.”

Felix walked towards his own bike, busying himself with unlocking it while Annette gathered her bags. Annette is a really pretty name. Felix cursed, as he accidentally entered the wrong combination.

She stood by his side, humming softly, teetering from side to side. Felix ripped the lock off with more force than required. He stood up and stuffed the lock into his bag. Fastening his messenger bag to his shoulder, he turned it to his front.

With a nod of his head, he motioned Annette to follow him. They walked to the front gate, where Felix mounted the bike. She hesitated. Felix gave her a blank stare. Sighing, she sat sideways on the luggage carrier. Felix raised his brow.

“Are you sure you don’t want to straddle the back? Sitting sideways like that doesn’t seem all that safe.”

Annette shifted into a comfortable position. “Having two people on one bike isn’t safe to begin with!” She huffed. “And I’m wearing a skirt. This is the best way to sit.”

“Oh…” Felix couldn’t deny that.

He reminded her to hold onto him or the bike and accelerated. For a while the two of them rode in silence.

Felix couldn’t help, but think about how sappy the entire situation was. Feeling instant affection for someone he didn’t even know wasn’t something he had ever known. Being affectionate in general wasn’t something he was known for. His friends were dear to him, in some way, but it was easy to misinterpret their interactions.

And yet, somehow Annette managed to find that sweet spot within him that made him want to spoil her and see her laugh and sing with those awkward little dances forever.

He huffed. But… he _would_ like to hear her sing again.

“Annette?”

The girl in question looked up instinctively, even though Felix can’t see her without driving them both into a ditch. She called out a ‘yes’ when she realized.

“I─,” he rubbed his neck for a second, “I heard you’re a singer, right?”

“Oh,” Annette leaned closer to him, talking louder to make sure Felix could hear her through the whiff of the wind.

“Yeah! I’m a member of the school choir, but I sing a lot at home, too. It’s a lot of fun.”

Felix hummed, a soft smile on his face. The expression was quickly lost however.

“I heard you sing last week.”

His knuckles turned white on the steering bar. In his head he imagined Annette turning red behind him.

“Oh… you did? During a rehearsal? Were you trying to join the choir?”

“No, I─” he paused to find the right words and not make himself sound like a stalker. “I heard you sing a song at the bike stands. About the sun shining bright and going home or something?”

Annette groaned and buried her head into his back. Immediately she realized what she had done and quickly swung her head and body backwards. Felix’s eyes widened.

The sudden movement almost steered them careening down the hill and into the river. He shot out a foot to slow them down. Securing their stop with his other foot, the bike came to a halt right before the slope.

Both of them breathed out heavily. The danger was avoided.

“What was that for?” Felix called to his passenger. He noted a lack of his usual bite to those words.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Annette bowed her head. Careful to leave some space between them this time. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable and panicked and─”

She sighed, folding her red face into her hands.

Felix kept quiet. Switching his feet, he looked out across the river. The sun was setting above, dyeing the river and sky in tones of red and orange. The wind blew peacefully around them, as the rushing water drowned out the sounds of their breaths.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Annette doing the same. They took in the scene for a moment.

“You know,” he started, turning his head to face ahead. “I don’t mind you leaning into me.”

Annette gaped. Felix tipped them off, once again riding along the path. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to see her expression, Annette smiled. She hid her blush in Felix’s back.

The rest of the ride went by without incident and soon enough they reached the Kleimann Bridge.

Felix stuck out a foot. Flushing, he nudged his passenger with an elbow. Annette flinched, then yawned.

Untangling herself from Felix, she hopped off the bike. She tugged on her messenger bag until it rested comfortably on her shoulder.

Felix shifted his balance from one foot to the other. Annette took a small step across the pathway.

“So,” Felix rested his head on the steering bar, “get home safely, then.”

Annette smiled. “Thank you for the ride, Felix! I’ll pay you back the next time I see you, okay?”

“No, that’s fine, I don’t need you to─”

“Nonsense! Mercie is a goddess when it comes to baking. Surely you don’t dislike sweet pastries, right?”

Felix averted his eyes. “Actually I don’t really like sweet things…”

“Oh…” Annette’s gaze dropped. He didn’t like that expression one bit.

He tapped his fingers on his arms. He couldn’t let her leave with such downcast eyes. That would be irresponsible, and Felix liked to think that he was honorable in battle.

“You don’t need to worry about paying me back. It was the fault of my friend that your bike got targeted in the first place.”

“Well,” Annette shifted her feet, “I suppose, but still…”

Suddenly, her head snapped upwards and she smiled at Felix.

“I know! You wanted to hear me sing right?”

She blushed sweetly and Felix had no choice but to follow suit.

“Well,” she continued, “I have practice after school, so maybe, if you want, I could ask Professor Manuela if you can sit in?”

Felix pushed himself off the steering bar. “I have practice at that time, so that won’t work.”

“Ah,” Annette pressed her knuckles against her head, “of course, you do.”

“But,” Felix looked across the river. He scratched his neck. “Maybe we can meet up afterwards for a bit. At the bike stands. It’s where I heard you the first time anyway.”

Annette perked up. “Yeah, sure! It’s usually empty, too, so maybe I won’t die of embarrassment.”

She laughed, but Felix couldn’t imagine why she’d be embarrassed with a voice like hers. He heard her singing before after all and he liked her voice for what it was worth. He didn’t say these things though.

“I’m heading off then,” she said. She skipped to the other side of the street where a smaller pathway headed into the residential area.

“I’m out earlier than you. I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow, then.”

“Got it!” She waved brightly and then turned to skip the other way.

Felix nodded once. He drove forward for a minute before he realized that he was going the wrong way. With a growl he turned and angrily sped back down the street he had just driven this way.

He looked down the path Annette had disappeared down while passing by. She was already gone.

#### V.

The next day Felix rode to school with his friend as usual. He glared at Sylvain for most of the ride. Sylvain didn’t bother to ask, instead gleefully speeding up and braking in front of Ingrid.

Ingrid looked ready to punch him off his bike. Fortunately for Sylvain, Dimitri was enough to calm her down.

“Hey,” Sylvain said, “let’s meet at the usual place after school. Have some good food to celebrate the weekend and stuff.”

“Or to celebrate Dimitri’s ascension to soccer captain. It was about time!” Ingrid laughed.

Dimitri chuckled meekly. “It is a great feeling to be relied on.”

“I can’t.” Felix said.

“You can’t? Got yourself a hot date, didn’t you, you sneaky snake?”

“Sylvain, please refrain from talking unless it’s something of value.” Felix said calmly.

“Well,” Dimitri added, “I have to talk to Coach Byleth anyway regarding my new captain duties. Maybe we can move the celebration to tomorrow?”

“That sounds fine to me,” Ingrid nodded. Sylvain shrugged.

They parted ways when they arrived at school. Dimitri and Ingrid were in a different class, so the four of them usually only saw each other before and after school. Occasionally they would have lunch together, but with Sylvain using lunch break as an opportunity to flirt, a quiet lunch wasn’t guaranteed.

Sylvain and Felix made their way through the halls. The redhead was talking Felix’s ear off when they heard a small ‘Oh!’ from behind them.

They turned around.

“Felix, hey!”

Annette’s bright smile made Felix squint his eyes. Figured that he hadn’t seen her around school before meeting her, but afterwards she was everywhere. His gaze went from her face to the covered plate she held in her hands. He sighed. Lovingly exasperated, but not angry.

“Didn’t I say that I don’t like sweet things?”

Annette huffed. “You did, but I figured you could at least try one of the muffins before disregarding them. And,” she eyed the other redhead beside Felix. “Maybe you could take them and share with your friends.”

Sylvain’s eyes widened as the reality of the situation sank in. Felix knew Sylvain wouldn’t let this go for the rest of his life, so he gave up on playing it off. With a small smile, he took the plate off Annette’s hands.

“I’ll take it into consideration.”

“You better,” she grinned, “Mercie and I pulled out all the stops for this batch!”

Felix moved the plate under one arm, grasping Sylvain’s sleeve with the other one.

“We’ll be going to class then.”

“Alright! Don’t you dare forget about later, okay?”

Felix nodded at her and hauled Sylvain to the classroom.

Sylvain stood still as Felix sat down and inspected the muffins. Chocolate muffins with sprinkles. Felix grimaced. They couldn’t have made it any sweeter, he thought.

“So, wait, hold on.”

Sylvain held up his hands. Felix broke off a piece of the muffin, daring himself to at least try it.

Professor Hanneman walked in, slinging a book onto the desk. He turned to write something onto the blackboard, beginning the lesson immediately. Sylvain finally sat down then. And held his head in his hands for a moment. Then he started to grin.

“I was right then,” he turned to Felix.

Excitedly he repeated himself. “I was right about you having a date then. Oh my god. Who would’ve thought that you─ and she’s so small and cute, too!”

Felix ate the muffin piece then. Too sweet, he sighed. It could be worse, but he’d rather not eat an entire muffin filled with sugar. He moved to close to the muffin plate, when Sylvain snatched the muffin. Felix glared mutely, but put the lid on the plate.

Ignoring Sylvain never worked, but Felix figured he’d let him get it all out before insulting him. It’s not like he can deny how much it sounded like a date. Especially to someone like Sylvain. Even if it wasn’t anything but payback for a favor.

“Especially,” he swallowed, “because you look like complete opposites. You’re all dark and broody and then there’s this tiny, bright girl smiling at you like you saved her from being stranded.”

He kind of did.

“And then she baked muffins for you! Even though she knew you don’t like sweets! And you took them!”

What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t let her hard work go to waste.

“Oh man, this muffin is really good.” He finished the muffin. “Seriously though, Felix. She looks really nice. Good luck on your date. If you need advice, I’m the ultimate wingman.”

“You’re the ultimate breaker of hearts. No one should take your love advice.”

“Aw, Felix, you wound me. Really, good luck though.”

Sylvain turned back to the professor for a moment before he turned back to Felix.

“Save me another one of those muffins, will you?”

Felix glared at him.

#### VI.

The final bell rang. Felix wiped away the sweat off his brow. Training went well and he didn’t even voice a single insult to anyone else. He could feel Jeralt’s eyes on him. Hopefully he’d get off his back now.

“Okay,” Jeralt called, “everyone shower and clean up!”

Felix took his usual quick shower and made his way down to the bike stands. He sat against a wall beside his own bike. In the middle row he noted Annette’s ruined bike. She hasn’t had the chance to take it home yet.

He hummed and took a look at his phone.

[05:04pm] Sylvain: told the others not to wait up ;) ;) have fun on ur date!!

“Tsk. So, basically he told them everything. Fantastic.”

He scrolled through the messenger, when two more messages arrived.

[05:56pm] Ingrid: I hope you’re not being rude, Felix! I expect some information tomorrow.

[05:57pm] Dimitri: Sylvain told us about your date! I’m happy for you. :-) Have fun. See you tomorrow!

Felix glared daggers at his phone hoping they would stab through it. It’s not that he didn’t want to talk about it except he really didn’t want to talk about it. Mostly because he could already tell exactly what they would say. Sylvain would be the most annoying, the guy wouldn’t stop teasing even in the face of death. Ingrid would try to give him advice. Which isn’t a problem in and of itself, but it’d be advice that might work on her and not on Annette. The small girl didn’t seem to be as big a glutton as Ingrid after all. Then there was Dimitri whose entire congratulatory ‘I’m so happy for you!’ speech would only assist to further Felix’s annoyance.

“Felix!”

His eyes locked onto Annette immediately when she called his name. She was smiling and waving and Felix wanted to keep the pleased smile on his face, so he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Annette stopped short of Felix. Even with him leaning against the wall, he basically towered over her. She looked so soft and happy. Felix didn’t know this feeling from experience, nonetheless he had the urge to cover her body with his and hold her close. That wasn’t an instinct Felix with his aggressive tendencies tended to have, so he occupied his mind with the situation at hand.

“Hey.”

“Hey there,” she smiled back.

Felix was already out of words. Luckily, Annette wasn’t.

“So? How were the muffins? You tried at least, right?” She clasped her hands together as she got closer.

“I did try them, but they weren’t for me. I gave the platter to Sylvain.”

Annette sighed, but the smile remained. “That was to be expected. Can’t convert someone with just one muffin…”

“Yea─wait, ‘convert’?”

She giggled. “Don’t worry about it! Anyway,” she continued.

“I’m here to sing for you, so,” her face turned red in tandem with the dying sun. “What do you want to hear?”

He wasn’t sure how to respond. It’s not like he knew what kind of songs Annette knows. He only heard her sing that one time after all, and to Felix, it sounded like pure improvisation.

“Uh, I don’t know your repertoire, but─”

“Oh, duh!” Annette donked herself on the head. She apologized, not that she had any reason to, and hopped onto the wall beside Felix.

“Well,” she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “My little songs are all really silly, but there’s the Cleaning song, or the Creepity song… Oh! The sweets song, too!”

Felix couldn’t deny that they all sounded rather interesting. Although all of those sound right in line with the song he had heard. He suppressed a smile. So, making up tunes on the spot is a common theme. That’s really cute, he thought. He shook his head.

“Just sing the song from back then. About going home and the sun shining red.” Annette blinked at him. He stares behind her. “I think I like that one.”

Annette takes him in. Then she smiles, blindingly.

“Okay. You better listen well! I won’t be doing this again!” She said. But her eyes betrayed a softness, Felix wasn’t accustomed to.

And so she started to sing.

Felix couldn’t help his eyes widening in awe. He wasn’t a musically inclined person, but even listening to a small song that doesn’t have serious lyrics. Something that was created purely for the passion of the craft.

Annette’s voice faded out. Her expression was set alight by her joy and Felix loved the view. For a moment he thought about seizing the moment to kiss her, but he shelved that notion. Sure, he’s never felt anything similar to this, however, Annette simply offered to repay a debt. It’s his fault for choosing something that would result in such a romantic atmosphere. She hadn’t complained yet, though that didn’t ease Felix’s mind. He had no experience with any of this.

“That was really good. I enjoyed that. So, uh, thanks, Annette.” He said.

Her smile faltered. “I’m glad.”

Neither said a word. Then Annette giggled.

“What?”

“Haha, it’s nothing, just… we have a thing for awkward silences, don’t we?”

Felix smirked. “I wouldn’t think of it as funny, but I suppose so.”

“Hey,” she inched towards him. “You know, this is all new to me, too, but…”

Felix focused on her, as she needled her shifting feet with her eyes. Her blush spread to Felix’s cheek, as he caught an inkling of what she meant.

“I─If you─Well─Argh!”

Annette pushed herself off the wall and stomped in front of Felix. Her determined eyes glared right into Felix’s. With her hands on her hips she made an almost threatening picture. Felix would snort if she wasn’t so damn close. Her eyes were really blue.

Really, really blue.

“Felix!”

“Wha─Yes?”

“I’m going to kiss your cheek. Is that okay?”

“Huh? Sure?”

Leaning on her tiptoes, Annette pecked his cheek, resting there for only a moment before she retreated as quickly as she had risen. Her face was red from ear to neck, but her face still showed an adorable angry pout.

Felix was still comprehending what he had just agreed to. He said ‘yes’, and he didn’t want to take it back. Definitely not. He simply hadn’t expected her to make a move. Especially one as bold as telling what she was going to do, as if she was declaring war. As far as Felix was concerned, declaring war would’ve made more sense to him. Although he often heard people saying that ‘Love is War’, so perhaps this is just what relationships were. Thinking of his feelings like a battle sounded a lot easier. Battles were something he knew.

“That─Oh.”

“Oh?” Annette lowered her hands, folding them together. “Is that all you have to say.”

“Well,” Felix smirked. “Is that all you’ve got?”

“Huh?” Annette could only raise her head before Felix cupped her cheek and pressed his lips against hers. She closed her eyes, gripping his shirt tightly. In turn, Felix grabbed a hold of her other hand with his own free one. The redhead then entwined their fingers.

The kiss caused no fireworks, no sparks. Their inexperience shone through in the way their noses bumped together, their mouths stayed closed and their eyes were pinched frantically shut.

But when they parted and Felix dared to open his eyes, Annette was grinning at him. Felix smiled softly. The sinking sun drowned Annette in an ethereal glow. Her hair shined like fire, just as her lips had felt like only seconds before. The blush on her cheeks further accented her excited expression. Their hands tightly intertwined between them.

With a chuckle, Felix stroked her hand with his thumb. He used his other hand to fish out his phone. Dextrous fingers flew across the screen and he pressed ‘send’ before getting up. Pulling Annette with him, he led her to his bike.

“I’ll take you home.”

She thanked him gleefully, squeezing his hand.

This time, Annette cuddled into Felix’s back as soon as they left the school grounds. And when Annette whispered a small ‘I like you’ into the fabric, he could only hum.

**Author's Note:**

> Sylvain was finishing up the muffin he brought home when he heard his phone ding.
> 
> [06:22pm] Felix: You owe Annette an apology. Be prepared.
> 
> “What did I do to _her?_ ” Sylvain asked the empty room.
> 
> ───
> 
> You can find the artwork on tumblr:  
> https://jeshikaramu.tumblr.com/post/628067414276521984/felannieminibang2020


End file.
